WISDOM
The fool will rarely listen
Preferring through omission
To fill the space of thoughtful hush,
With lines that start with I;
The wise prefer to listen
As a time for acquisition
And only speak to understand,
And ask the reasons why;
The fool blindly follows others
Where shared opinions smother
Thoughts that go against the grain,
Of mainstream status quo;
The wise don’t heed convention
And have no apprehension
Before they set in motion,
Thoughts that tip a domino;
The fool takes no correction
And sees it as rejection
A personal attack that
Dents shallow confidence;
The wise don’t fear objection
And seek interrogation
If it generates ideas,
Of greater consequence;
The fool hoards information
As a means of confirmation
That rank has been achieved
And that power is retained;
The wise set out to distribute
To see their knowledge contribute
And carry wisdom lightly,
As if it were the wind;
The fool lives in the present
Takes no account of dissent
And is driven by self-interest
And absence of respect;
The wise look back and forwards
To the past and to the future
Seeing them as one,
And making them connect;
For fools are sadly destined
To lead their lives unquestioned
And see themselves correct,
In everything they do;
Yet the wise who seem uncertain
And who never cease to question
Will lead the more fulfilling life,
Where all they do is true;